A we've seen from Limerick, it only takes a few violent and bullying people to leave a trail of destruction. People who live a lot outside and move around a lot are very visible. With Travellers, if there are some high profile people who are in your face, that is who everone is aware of. Everyone is tarred with the same brush. Travellers aren't all the same. There are probably some Travellers who post here and people you know who you aren't aware are Travellers.

Limerick is bad example for you to use as the families involved are traveller families! Just not very mobile travellers anymore.

Two female members of my family were attacked on the street by traveller women in two separate incidences in two seperate towns. It was the only time either has been attacked thankfully. But even with that I would be loathe to tar an entire community with the same brush. No more than the actions of the Dundun family are representative of the people of Limerick or the gangs in Clondalkin are representative of the people of Clondalkin.

I suppose noone here has ever seen a group of "settled" people behave like scum?

There are nasty travellers, there are nasty "settled" people.

That is true, but it is not like for like. Remember the riots in Mullingar, between the Nevins and the Wards. There was 200 people involved, there are approx. 20k travellers in the state, so that is 1% of the group population. When did you last hear of a riot involving 43000 settled people. The number of "nasty" travellers is unfortunately very high as a percentage of the group, whilst only one in a hundred settled people might be a scumbag.

They disgrace thier community??? Their whole community IS a disgrace. People try to make out that the Travellors are victims of social exclusion and racism. Although I fail to see any racism since they are supposed to be Irish so Irish people being prejudiced to travellers cant actually by racism. Then again, prejudism is not as headline grabbing is it.

It is rare to see a traveller as a decent human being. I've encountered a few in my time and none of them really enamoured me to their "way of life" or them as a human being. They constantly try to get the rest of us to accomodate them and their ways, however, they are the ones who should try to assimilate into our society instead of keeping themselves on the fringes all the time. If there are factions of the travelloer community worthy of what they strive for, then they should sort the rest of their own community out. Oh no of course, they couldn't possible dream of doing that, could they?

If you are coming out with that then we are all travellers. It is how we all started off i.e. as nomads.

What are you on about? It's not like they stopped travelling a few thousand years ago before the time of St. Patrick. The main families in the feuds in Limerick are traveller families sure everyone knows that. Though of course it's the one aspect of the problem that the likes of Vincent Browne will never mention.

What are you on about? It's not like they stopped travelling a few thousand years ago before the time of St. Patrick. The main families in the feuds in Limerick are traveller families sure everyone knows that. Though of course it's the one aspect of the problem that the likes of Vincent Browne will never mention.

I have to admit I didn't know that. I've never heard that alluded to in any radio discussion on the matter. Are you sure?

A social worker, who worked with travelers, and myself once got into a 'discussion' about Travelers. During the discussion she stated, with a straight face, that travelers should not have to pay tax as it is not part of their culture. I was a little loss for words, but eventually retorted that the other side of that argument was that they ought then not to receive any of the benefits of the state, i.e. health, education, subsidized places to life, or the protection of the law.

She said no, they should still get these things and more - because the settled community owed them that.

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